The architecture of humanism; a study in the history of taste

52 THEARCHITECTURE

OF

HUMANISM

gravest,istoregard

architectureas

symbolic, Litera-

*tureispowerfultoinvest

withfascination

anyperiod

ofhistoryonwhichitsartis

imaginativelyexpended.

Underthe

influence,directly or

indirectly, oflitera-

turethewhole

pastoftheraceiscolouredforusin

attractiveorrepellenttones.

Ofsomeperiodsinevit-

ablywethinkwithdelight; ofothers

withdistaste.

Anewhistoricalperspective,anewliteraryfashion,

mayatanytimealterthe

feelingweentertain. Yet

the concreteartswhich these different periodspro-

ducedremainalwaysthe

same,stillcapableof

address-

ingthesameappealtothephysicalsenses. If,then,

wearetoattendimpartiallytothatpermanentappeal,

we must discount

these

'

literary

' preconceptions.

Buteverythingwhichrecallsaperiodofthepastmay

recall,

by

association, theemotionswith which

that

periodis, atthetime, poetically regarded. Andto

theseemotions, originally engendered by literature,

romanticismmakestheotherartssubservient. The

elementinourconsciousness whichoughttobedis-

counted, it makes paramount. Its interest

in the

artsisthat,

like

poetry,

they

shouldbringthemind

withinthecharmedcircleofimaginativeideas. But

theseideasreallybelongtotheliteraryimagination

whencetheysprang,andoneresultofapplyingthem

toarchitecture,wheretheyarenotinherent,

isthat

all permanenceand objectivityof

judgment islost.

Thus, forexample, the Gothic building from

being